According to a friend, who was speaking on condition on anonymity, the world number one will speak honestly about his implosion when he gives a media conference on Tuesday morning ahead of the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral in Miami.

**It's been moved to Wednesday.

Meanwhile Tiger offered some advice for Rory through the reporters who asked him about the incident, reports Ewan Murray.

Advice for McIlroy soon arrived from Tiger Woods, a man who knows a thing or two about negative publicity. "He's just got to be more – just got to think about it a little bit more before you say something or do something," Woods said.

"It can get out of hand, especially when you get into social media and start tweeting and all those different things that can go wrong."

In other words, do not tell the truth. The saddest part of this farce could be the ending of McIlroy’s innocence. He is too honest for his own good. If he had told the journalists who interviewed the defending champion immediately after his withdrawal “I have so and so wrong with my body” then there would have been no outcry. Yet he did not and there was.

McIlroy was asked three times if a physical problem had forced his premature exit. Each time he replied “no”. “I’m not in a good place mentally,” he said.

Then the story changed to a sore wisdom tooth, before a picture was released of him munching a sandwich moments before he headed for the car-park. Cue ridicule mixed with a layer or two of outrage.

Nice recap Geoff. It's unfortunate if this is another nail in the coffin of Rory's innocence. Seems like it's headed that way though. Nike certainly makes athletes very very rich. But the Nike $ comes with a price too. Rory had always been very open and honest. He was fun to follow on Twitter and elsewhere. But looks like those days are over. #Nikesucks

It's so hard to speculate on what really was the reason for the WD but he is no doubt struggling with his swing which is probably causing him some confidence issues with his sticks. I don't think the majority of golf fans have any idea what a lack of confidence does to golfers at this level. A couple squirrely shots can play with their minds. While not a huge NIKE fan, can we really think that the clubs he's using are so inferior that they can cause a world class player to turn into a hack? They are different clubs, he'd probably struggle if he switched from PING to Taylor-Made, wouldn't matter. I think he probably regrets his decision to WD and hopefully he learns from it; he's still young.

I think the equipment change is pretty much a non issue. It's not like he's playing hickory now, all the brands make fantastic clubs and i would think he could put any shaft he wants in them. @aron wants to blame Nike for his loss of innocence, but face it, that was going to happen at one time soon anyway. In todays world of intense media scrutiny and social media covering virtually every moment of their lives, no doubt today's young superstars at some point get jaded and cynical. The young lad has been a tremendous breath of fresh air for golf, hope he can continue to be a carefree, fun loving 23 year old.

The fact that a PGA tour player cannot WD simply because he isn't playing well, without repercussions from Tim and his minions, has created this game of "pick an injury" to report to the press. Virtually every other sport allows for an "off day" and it is even encouraged in some. Tim has created this atmosphere where Tour players are made to feel they owe something to the sponsor, hence the pro/am requirement, as well as a myriad of other social functions required as mandatory attendance. So the question becomes: Are we better off with a policy which encourages lying to the media or to simply allow for an honest assessment of ones game, of which might allow for an occasional WD for no other reason than a lack of an ability to hit yhe ball on a given day?

P-dog you're completely missing the point. McIlroy was most likely paid a handsome appearance fee and yes he does owe sponsors what they paid for. I'm sorry, but just because you're playing poorly does not mean you can walk off the course - that's bad sportsmanship. I'm not saying I don't feel bad for the guy because I'm sure he's under loads of pressure that I could never take, but finish out the round and go home.

If McIlroy was receiving an appearance fee, that would be a much bigger story than the WD.

There is no way the PGA Tour's middle class (Joe Ogilvie, Briny Baird, Jeff Overton etc) would make multi millions if appearance fees were paid. As a result, these policy boars busybody types are very against the concept.

You might be thinking of the Europen Tour which does offer appearance fees.

@jgwIf Tom Brady was playing as bad as Rory was, he would have been benched. Pitchers are replaced multiple times per game due to performance. The excuse: "didn't have my best stuff today". I was simply pointing out how lame it is we have to listen to what is obviously a lie, then hours of expert (errrrrrr) speculation, instead of a simple, honest answer from the player. It obvious he is struggling and trying to play through it. It's unfortunate in today's age that a promising young athlete cannot be allowed to have inevitable high and lows without having to explain them.

What cracks me up is the idea that Tiger would be serving as some sort of mentor or big brother figure to Rory. Tiger has one goal in his head, and that is to ruin Rory for the next decade or so. Rory's best bet is to stay as far away as possible.

Great catch by Geoff of a great column by James Corrigan. It is exactly right; Tiger's advice on public relations is, "Don't be honest. Caclulate. Don't let slip with anything honest or interesting or forthcoming." It is Tiger's worst quality; the stonewalling lack of candor.

One thing I don't get; why not just live with the first story, "I am not in a good place mentally..."? So what if you get a Tour fine? So what if people gripe about your lack of effort? You apologize. It's just one routine tour event. You apologize honestly, you pay a fine or accept any other penalty. At least you get out with your credibility.

I think the honesty with McIlroy was one of the really refreshing things about him. The lack of calculation. It was how people could judge what sort of mind was operating that swing.

It wasn't the lack of calculation that troubles me with Rory. The first reaction was honest, even if it was bad Tour behavior. It was the second bite at the apple, the calculation, that was so offensive. The apparently phony story about the wisdom teeth. It really appears to have been a manager thing. A manager whose job it is to minimize screwups on entry forms, tee times and PGA Tour fines. And a manager who knew Rory's schedule for the next month, and said, "Hey, we can use the wisdom teeth excuse; it has the air of credibility because we know he has that appointment in two weeks."

So I agree with James Corrigan. I'd much rather have the honest Rory. I hope he speaks honestly on Tuesday. But then there is the equipment thing. And everybody knows that Rory is not going to blame the equipment. I'd sure like to at least hear him say that the equipment is fine (it works well enough for other tour players) but the switch part is difficult and it takes time. But it is hilarious how sensitive people are about the equipment. Peter Jacobsen (Nike) was ALL OVER a defense of "the fine young man" and his fine equipment when Johnny Miller asked him about it on Saturday.

And let's remember how freaking lucky Rory is. If he had been 30 minutes later to Medinah last fall, he might have lost his match and the Ryder Cup might have gone in a different direction. All of his good will would have vanished then and there.

This guys a pro, even with a toothache or whatever, on an off day, he should be able to grind it out, make a couple birdies to give the fans something, and shoot 77 and miss the cut with class. He should play a few practice rounds with Rickie Fowler, there's a guy who doesn't quit

Hey, these guys are good! Best athletes in the history of sports, even (wasn't Golf Channel beating that drum for Tiger around '08?)...

I only have one question. Golf is for rich, whining types for the most part AWAY from the public links, so why all the whining from the rich whining types about a rich, whiny kid doing what rich, whining kids do? What really do you expect from guys in their 20's who've never done an honest day's work?

"A guy with a bad wisdom tooth doesn't get hungry?" No, not so much, if it is bad enough for him to walk of the course in the middle of a round. The pain probably increased with every bad hole until it was damn near unbearable! And then he ate a sandwich. Right.

I still don't get how it's okay to take painkillers during the actual tournament (Rory claimed to be on Advil) in order to keep competing, yet it's ever so frowned upon to use homeopathic remedies to help recover from an injury even if you're not in a tournament.

Using stuff to recover from an injury is just good sense. Uh... because you become healthy again (assuming it's not snake oil). Which brings you back to an even playing field, rather than starting well behind.

Playing with an injury numbed by pain killers could lead to long-term problems. Pain exists purely to make you stop using that part of your body so it can heal. I know Rory only complained about his tooth, but the media has raised several other cases where players simply popped a few pills and got on with the job like a good soldier. You know, like Tiger did several years ago during his last major win.

Pretty interesting observation there about Annika. I believe it. Can you shed any more light on the topic?

Here's a funny one...was at the ABB show on Friday night and after it was over as I'm about to leave who should be standing there but Jimmy Roberts. As I passed by said "ok you guys give Rory the full treatment just like you would if it were Tiger" and his reply was "oh don't worry, got you covered there".

H401 and others.Whining about other people having money is just sour grapes, always bad form.Pro's don't get there by accident and the years of dedicated practice are more work than most 9 to 5ers are willing to sacrifice.

He's young, and he is going to make plenty of mistakes, this one will be forgotten with his next 65. Tiger is not wrong when he suggests you can be too honest with the press/ public sometimes. As much as they think they have a "right" to know everything, that's just not necessary. Not saying what he did was right, he owes the fans his best but some days you are not going to have your heart in it for whatever reason. Bobby D. And others, the doping issue?? Really?? Juicing?? Please elaborate?? Lots of innuendo but where's the smoking gun? Geez??Whatever happened to giving some people the benefit of the doubt, we don't know the issue. But I sometimes wonder if fans are really fans anymore or just critics who at every opportunity prefer to "take the piss". Many sports writers certainly fall into this category. I not sure some of them even like sports anymore much less any of the athletes who play them. That's my rant

When did thinking before you speak become a negative? As a general rule, considering your words & not saying everything that pops into your head is a sign of maturity and levelheadedness. Their is a difference between thinking before you speak, and choosing your words, & being disingenuous (as Tiger can be).

That being said we're all disingenuous on occasion, nearly all of us have topics we don't really want to discuss, or cop too. It's part of the human reality

At 23 what does a young man spend 90% of his time thinking about? The girl friend is on some other continent, he feels lonely, his tooth is bothering him and he lacks a maturity of judgment, so he quits while the fans paid hard earned money to see him play. This is a kid who has had numerous high priced automobiles already. There does not appear to be anyone who can control him.

Rory gets the benefit of the doubt. He is making it hard on himself though. Squaring the circle from "I'm not in a good place mentally" to "I have a toothache" will require the willing suspension of disbelief on the part of his audience. OK then. The first part was obvious; the second part, well, he was apparently not well served by his "advisors" when he got back to the ranch on Friday.

As for Tiger and PEDs, probably not. But he is the one who had an unlicensed physician treat him in his house. Yeah, Dr. Galea largely skated on the charges to which he pleaded guilty, perhaps for good reason. According to our friend wiki, the judge felt compelled to compare Galea to Marcus Welby, MD. So it's all good.

"Whining about other people having money is just sour grapes, always bad form. Pro's don't get there by accident and the years of dedicated practice are more work than most 9 to 5ers are willing to sacrifice."

From T. Neagele's blog: "After Lance Armstrong’s mea culpa, when will Tiger Woods confess to having used performance enhancing drugs as well? The time has arrived for him to come clean; and for Nike to terminate its contract with him, just as it has done in the case of Armstrong.

Nike and the PGA are complicit in Woods’ doping. Indeed, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem and the once highly-respected PGA have participated in, if not spearheaded, an unprecedented cover-up of Woods’ doping activities.

Like Armstrong, Woods should be stripped of his titles, and required to pay back tournament winnings and sponsorship monies."

I just finished reading the entire article and comments of Neagele's scathing attack on Woods. Some truth there, and as someone who is not a huge fan of Woods, it's nice to see. However, wow, for a lawyer who states he's helped draft laws and has participated in developing governmental programs for the good of many, how on earth can he not be sued for saying: a) that Tiger has been doping, b) Nike and the PGA are complicit, and c) that Finchem and the PGA participated in a cover-up of Wood's (alleged) doping? Is this not libelous?

As to Rory, ya, he made a mistake. He'll regret the decision and maybe it will cost him some credibility for awhile. But sheesh folks, lets not throw him under the bus just yet.

1) The clubs are fine...perfect actually...don't you mind the latest grind-marks and/or lead tape...they feel great...right out of the box and give me 12-14 more distance...Next question?

2) The tooth is still sore, but not sore enough to stop enjoying salt water taffy and peanut brittle. It seems to hurt (alot) more when I double cross my shot into the next county for some reason...you'll have to ask my agent for more info...Conor?

3) I'm really looking forward to playing this week and being guaranteed 4 rounds w/ a scorcard in my pocket, it's been awhile! Like my chances this week and am mentally refreshedafter jetting off to the middle east for a quick lunch with Caroline yesterday...I feel great!

4)Uhh...by white bunny slippers I take it you mean my new shoes...uh...no comment!